Report: Pedestrian Safety Still a Concern in Connecticut

A report that was recently released by the Tri-State Transportation Campaign revealed that 99 pedestrians in Connecticut were killed between 2011 and 2013. Twenty-four of the pedestrian deaths occurred in New Haven County, the report indicated.

Interestingly, 50 percent of the pedestrian accidents occurred on arterial roads, or high-capacity urban roads, while only about 15 percent of the states roadways are classified as arterial. Many of the pedestrians killed were aged 60 and older.

The Connecticut advocate for the Tri-State Transportation Campaign said one of the main reasons pedestrian accidents are a problem in the state is because the roads are not designed to accommodate pedestrians.

"Continuing to bow to car culture and making walking and biking an afterthought is killing people, hurting our economy and our environment and driving away the young people we need in our workforce," the executive director of Bike Walk Connecticut said.

He added that the state needs to get serious on implementing the Complete Streets law, which went into effect in 2010 and is aimed at making sure transportation projects address the needs of all motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists and public transportation users.

U.S. Route 1 was the road in the state with the highest number of pedestrian deaths between 2011 and 2013, and it has been that way for a number of years.

"While our annual analysis has noted variability in the most dangerous roads in the other states from year-to-year, without long-overdue safety improvements, it's unlikely Route 1 can shed this label," the executive director of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign said.

The state will need to take action to improve the road safety for pedestrians or risk being liable for pedestrian deaths. The state has a duty to follow the Complete Streets law, and continuing to favor vehicles over other forms of transportation could be considered negligence. In the event that you are injured while riding a bicycle and that incident was caused by the negligence of another individual, contacting a New Haven personal injury attorney may be a wise choice. You may be eligible for compensation associated with the recovery of the injury and other, related expenses.